Luthori
The Holy Luthori Empire is a constitutional monarchy on the eastern coast of Artania. To the north is the Bay of Luthor and Ikradon, to the west is Beluzia, and to the south are the United Republic and Hobrazia. History of Luthori Main article: History of Luthori A full history of Luthori from its creation to the XXIst century. Government The Holy Luthori Empire is a constitutional and aristocratic monarchy. It is defined as constitutional because the its government operates within the confines of the 3rd Imperial Constitution and it is defined as aristocratic to distinguish it from other constitutional monarchies where the monarch is merely a figurehead. Indeed, the Head of State and ruler of the Holy Luthori Empire is the Holy Luthori Emperor. While he is not directly involved in the day to day details of the administration of the Empire, He does have major discretionary powers. The Emperor's will is represented by two executive bodies which effectively see to the everyday administration of the State. These are the Privy Council and the Cabinet. In the past, the cabinet held most executive power and the Council was little more than a group of advisers. However in the present that trend has completely reversed and the Privy Council holds most of the actual executive power. Legislative power is held by the Holy Imperial Diet. Every loyal subject of the Emperor is by law granted the right to vote and elect representatives to the Diet. The Diet has the power to enact legislation and the sole prerogative of amending the Imperial Constitution. Some contemporary observers suggest that the adjective "semi-feudal" be added to describe Luthori's government system. Indeed, while most legislation is decided on a national (Imperial) level, its implementation is left almost entirely in the hands of the rulers of the Empire's fiefs, the various landed aristocrats who exercise total executive control over their respective demesnes (dukedoms, marches, earldoms and baronies). The Monarch The Monarch is the Head of State in Luthori. During much of the nation's history, monarchs have gained and lost control of the duties that come with the job depending on the whether more democratic Diet is formed and rules the nation. At present, the Emperor is officially the Empire's head of state and chief executive and thus has many very real and extensive powers which are both executive powers and powers of appointment. For example, the Emperor is the absolute head of the military and may override any order, the Emperor also has full discretion to appoint every member of the Privy Council, except the head administrator, the Imperial Seal-Bearer and to dismiss them as he pleases. As the Great Officers of State (who sit on the Privy Council) essentially govern the nation, the Emperor rules by proxy with the full knowledge that he may dismiss any Privy Councillor that does not do as he pleases. That being said, Pirvy Councillors will necessarily have to be members of the High Nobility since the Emperor's support and power largely depends on the extremely powerful aristocracy and the whole system is somewhat of an unwritten agreement. The Emperor is also the supreme head of the Church of Luthori and has total control over it. Given the immense power the C of L has in Luthori (more than 90% of Luthorians are members of the C of L), the Emperor can further influence the people. The current Imperial line is that of the House of Orange-Villayn (Aldurian-Luthorian). The line decends from the union of Philippe II of Alduria and Mary I of Luthori. However on the 15 January 2655 the two claimaint Houses to the throne of Luthori, the Luthori based House of Orange-Villayn and the Hulstrian based House of Rothingren-Traugott, merged with the crowning of Emperor Henry I of Alduria, Hulstria, Luthori & Trigunia. It was decided with the birth of his twin sons that the family would split into to branches with one taking the Luthori-Alduria thrones, and the other taking the Hulstrian-Trigunia thrones. It was from so that the crown of the Imperial Thrones of Luthori and Alduria were passed to Gustavus I from whom the current Emperors are descended, with the name of the Imperial Dynasty being "The Imperial Dynasty of Rothingren-Traugott, Orange-Villayn Branch." thumb|left|250px|The Imperial Palace, Orange Palace,the Imperial Capital in Fort William Residences of the Emperor The Imperial Palace in Fort William, better known as Orange Palace, has been the primary residence of the Imperial Family since the crowning of William III. Before the crowning of the Emperor, the Palace was the home of the Princes of Orange, and was built by the great-grandfather of William I. However since then many renovations have been done, and especially when the city became the capital, the palace was brought up to date with all the latest technologies. Now, the Imperial Palace is the largest building in Fort William, towering above all others, it is meant to be a symbol of the enormous power and influence the Emperor wields. it is located not far from the Parliament and now serves as the seat of the de facto executive government, the Privy Council, in addition to being the primary residence of the members of the Royal family, most prominently the Emperor. Guided tours of Orange Palace continue to be available to the public although they are now tightly controlled and restricted to certain specific time periods. thumb|left|250px|The Summer Palace outside of Oalapo, was the original palace started by Emperor Richard I The Imperial Summer Palace, better known as Oalapiva, was the original main palace complex of the Luthori Emperor's. It was started by Emperor Richard to not just be his palace, but a Government city, where all parts of the government would meet and govern the Empire. However during his long absence while he was on his Crusade, the palace was expanded on by the many Viceroys, who made it their own. It almost became a tradition to expand the palace and make it better than the one before. By the time Edward II took the throne, after Richard was finally deemed to not ever be returning, the palace was transformed into his private house, with many government offices being crammed into the smaller buildings. It would be for that reason, that the palace following the crowning of William III was abandon as the center of the Empire. The Palace was full of corruption and moral decay, that the Emperor deemed the need to build separate buildings for the the government in the capital. However, it would not be until after the War of Luthori Succession that this would happen, with Fort William being named the new capital. Under the rule of Empress Mary, Queen of Luthori, the Palace would be repaired and remade into a historic monument and palace for the Imperial family to stay in when they wished. The palace remains open to the public and is one of the most popular tourist attractions due to is one of kind gardens that were commissioned by William III in honor of his wife Mary. The Privy Council Main article: The Privy Council of the Holy Luthori Empire His Majesty's Privy Council was originally an obscure group of advisors who held no significant power. However, during the Era of Imperial Supremacy, the Privy Council grew to become an immensely powerful organ of government with authority and power that largely surpasses that of the cabinet. The Privy Council is made up of 16 Great Officers of the Crown, including 5 viceroys, and any additional Privy Councillors the Sovereign may wish to appoint. thumb|left|250px| Imperial Parliament buildings located on the Agathion River, in the capital Fort William. The Imperial Parliament Known to most as the Holy Imperial Diet, it is made up of 200 members of Luthori, who are elected from the duchies of homeland Luthori in the Empire. The Emperor's nterests have traditionally always been represented in the Diet, usually through whatever party or parliamentary group also represents the country's nobility. This role has been held over the course of history by the Bible and Crown Defenders, the Covenanters, the Imperial Court and at present by the Constitutionalist Imperial League. The Representatives in the Diet are elected every 4 years, and serve for a term of 4 years before they again stand for election or reelection. The Imperial Diet is the law making body of the Holy Luthori Empire, and it is through it that the laws of the Empire are passed and debated amongst the lawmakers. The Diet is headed by the Speaker of the Diet known as the Imperial Seal-Bearer. He is the Chief Representative of the Diet, and is responsible for overseeing the affairs of the Parliament, along with supervizing the local assemblies in the Empire's colonies. The Seal-Bearer is the Empire's head bureaucrat and administrator and is elected by the Diet. He holds the position of head of government jointly with the Imperial prime Minister, who is appointed solely by the Emperor and holds executive power as head of the government. Together these two individuals help run the Empire's homeland and at the same time, the Empire's many and ever growing domains, colonies, and protectorates across Terra. With the Empire every growing, and the Emperor gaining more and more lands as colonies under Luthori administration, the Diet has decreed, that the colonies shall have their own elected Assemblies and pass their own local laws, while the Empire's laws, those that pertain to the entire Empire, shall be made by the Parliament of Luthori, a.k.a. the Holy Imperial Diet. By doing so that have basically declared virtual representation, however the colonies still mostly rule themselves, thus helping to prevent any repeats of past colonies that have broken away from the Empire. The Imperial Judical System thumb|right|250px| The Imperial Supreme Court, the Old Bailey, in the capital Fort William. *By the Constitution: "The judicial authority shall be vested in a system of courts, both lower and constitutional. These courts shall have absolute power to ensure enforcement of the laws and constitution of the Holy Luthori Empire." The Holy Luthori Empire Judicial system is split into two categories on top of the lower and constitutional ones described by the Constitution of the Empire. Along with that, the system of the Judicial System is one of an adversarial system, with lawyers arguing the case in the courtroom. *Civil Courts *Criminal Courts However, above these is the Imperial Supreme Court, which is the highest authority in the Empire when it comes to the law. However, the Courts are broken down into local courts, regional courts, national courts, and then the Imperial Supreme Court at the top. The Colonies of the Empire follow the same system, with one more before the Central Court, the High Colonial Court, which acts as the local Supreme Court, however cases can be brought to the Imperial Supreme court, if it accepts the case. The Imperial Supreme Court is headed by the Minister of Justice, who leads a panel of 8 others judges (a total of 9) in the Court. The Minister of Justice is declared by the cabinet of the Empire, with the other Judges being appointed by the parties of the Diet proportionaly to the number of seats they have. Overseas Empire Luthorian Overseas Empire Nobility Main article: Luthori Nobility '' Luthori's status as an aristocratic monarchy means that society is divided between aristocrats or nobles, clergymen and commoners. Except for the Emperor, who is above class distinctions, every Luthorian subject is a member of one of the three classes. Needless to say, a large majority of Luthorians are commoners and all subjects are entitled to elect the members of the Diet and to the rights enumerated in the Luthorian Common Bill of Rights. Because of the meritocratic nature of the nobility, social mobility remains reasonably high, seeing as economic mobility is also quite high and getting a "classical education", something absolutely necessary to be accepted by the upper classes, is, with some hard work, quite achievable. Despite the relative ease of social mobility, Luthori is an extremely stratified society and although well to do educated commoners who are all but waiting for a title may be seen mingling with nobles, social classes seldom mix, The legal privileges of the nobility remain very real. Aristocrats are tried by fellow nobles and no commoner may have anything to say with the verdict. Only nobles may sit at the Privy Council, the Empire's most important executive body and since the Emperor largely depends on the high Nobility for support, he must be careful not to upset the Landed Classes and limit and choose wisely his appointments to nobility. Nobles also have the exclusive right to carry a sword and legally kill another aristocrat in a duel. Only nobles are allowed to ask for audiences with members of the Royal family. Finally, aristocrats are entitled to additional legal protections in the realm of defamation and libel. It is also very important to note that all privileges aside, aristocrats are incredibly powerful in Luthorian society. The Empire's top soldiers and royalist politicians and aristocrats and peers wield immense power because a large majority of Luthori's corporations are owned and operated by nobles, with the Landed Classes being mostly factory owners and the Merchant Nobility being involved in shipping and financial business. Fiefs As an empire, Luthori is divided into a number of fiefs. The largest subdivisions are duchies, of which there are six, although the Duchy of Adlerberg is not not administered like one and is in practice counted as part of the Duchy of Utagia, being administered both as a marquessate and an earldom. Marquessates are the second subdivision and there are two in every duchy with the exception of Utagia, where Adlergberg fills the role of that marquessate. The third subdivision is the earldom, of which there are two in each marquessate with the exception of the Marquessate of Kensdale, which has three and is thus considered the most powerful and prestigious in the country, because it is also the only marquessate of Utagia, Adlerberg being administered as both a marquessate and an earldom. The last and smallest subdivision is the barony, of which there are twelve in each duchy for a total of sixty. Duchies are ruled jointly by a popularly elected Governor and the ruling duke, who head a duchy's executive and a ducal council, which is also elected by popular vote, heads a duchy's legislative branch. Marquessates are governed by the ruling marquess, who heads the executive and a noble council, which is elected by the earldoms' legislators and acts as a legislative branch. The fact that there is no elected executive in marquessates makes a marquess a powerful individual. Earldoms are ruled by an Earl and a bailiff who is appointed by the popularly elected earl's council, which is quite powerful because it also elects the members of the noble council. Finally, baronies are jointly ruled by the baron and a town council. In reality, most real power and authority is concentrated at the ducal and earldom levels with the marquessates' noble councils only meeting a few times a year and the town councils only taking care of very local issues. Imperial law The Imperial Constitution All legislation and political actions undertaken in the Holy Luthori Empire must respect the Imperial Constitution, the Constitution may only be modified or abolished with 2/3 of the legislation: Imperial Common Bill of Rights Certain God-given fundamental rigths are guaranteed to His Majesty's subjects. these rights are recorded in the Common Bill of Rights. It is an integral part of the Constitution and requires 2/3 of the legislation to be changed or abolished. Legal Archives Throughout the Empire's history, certain acts of law were particularly noteworthy and are recorded in the Imperial Archives. Defense and Security The Imperial Defense Ministry is the organ of government theoretically in charge of both security and defense in the Holy Luthori Empire. However, in practice, the defense ministry is divided into two completely autonomous and independent branches over which it has no control whatsoever. The Holy Imperial Military is the first and largest branch and the Imperial Directorate of National Security is the other. The heads of both branches are appointed directly and solely by the Emperor without exterior influence. Funding is distributed by the Imperial Treasury, which is itself separate not only from the Defense Ministry, but from the whole cabinet, so in practice, the Defense Ministry has almost no responsibilities and duties, despite officially being the best funded department in the imperial government. The Holy Imperial Military ''Main article: The Holy Imperial Military of the Holy Luthori Empire The Holy Imperial Military is the first of two organizations within the Imperial Defense Ministry, which is tasked with the defense of the realm, the sovereign and His interests from foreign elements. The Holy Luthori Empire has one of Terra's largest defense budget, with defense in Luthori taking up some 19% of GDP. Holy Imperial Military Imperial Directorate of National Security The Imperial Directorate of National is the second member-organization of the Imperial Defense Ministry whose objective is to defend the realm, the sovereign and His interests from internal threats and special external threats, such as some civilian and intelligence related issues. It is jointly headed by the Directors of Foreign intelligence and Domestic Security who have the power to designate "enemies of the Crown" a special status which strips the designee of his rights. They may also both delegate this power and both serve at the Emperor's pleasure. Imperial Order of the Witch Hunters The Order of the Witch Hunters is a security organization determined to root out heresy and withcraft in the Empire. It has ties to the Church and the monarchy and it can operate with virtual legal immunity. Imperial Office of Foreign Intelligence The Imperial Office of Foreign Intelligence is the organization that deals with certain special external threats to the Empire. Although it is technicaly a military organization funded by the ministry of defense, it does not answer to the Luthori government, but directly to the sovereign of Luthori. As with the ODS, the OFI is divided into seperate branches: - The Special Operations Section '- The arm of the IOFI in charge of covert operations. - '''The Surveillance Section '- The arm of the IOFI in charge of surveillance and espionage. Lord Spymaster: Sir Alexander Monroe Imperial Office of Domestic Security The Imperial Office of Domestic Seucirty is the organization that deals with all domestic threats to the Empire on a national level. Although it is technicaly a military organization funded by the ministry of defense, it does not answer to the Luthori government, but directly to the sovereign of Luthori. The ODS is divided into many branches: - ' The Imperial Military Police '- The Imperial Military Police is the uniformed branch of the Office of Domestic Security and further proof of its military roots. The Military Police is present throughout the Empire and is tasked, along with the various lawmen and local police agencies to maintain order in the realm. - ' The Royal Constabulary ' - The Royal Constabulary is both the ODS' national security and political security branch. It actively engages in surveillance of un-Luthorian elements, suspected traitors and heretics in addition to counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence activities. - '''The Imperial Recon Section - The Recon Section is the more "civilian" branch of the ODS, dealing with nation-wide criminals. It also maintains very substansive intelligence and counterintelligence operations in all fields. Recon also deals with cyber-crime. - Luthori Guard of Honour - The Luthori Guard of Honour is the Duke of Adlerberg's personal guard and is linked with the Employer's Association Party. Twice a year the Guard in it's known and typical spiked helmet is changing the guard at the Imperial Palace. All day's on the year the Guard is keeping the Adlerberg Castle and the Duke safe. - The Household Guard - The Household Guard is responsible for the protection of the sovereign and of his family. Although technicaly part of the IODS, the Household Guard answers only to the Emperor and accompanies him to foreign trips, thus operating also outside Luthori. Lord Master-at-Arms: Sir Maxwell Jeel Demographics Language The predominant language of the Holy Luthori Empire is Luthori, an Artanian language closely related to Ikradonian, Kundrati and Anantonese. It is an Ergative-Absolutive language, and is notable for its merger of the Superseleyan /u/, /e/ and /a/ sounds into /u/. Hulstrian is an offshoot of Luthori. Ethnicity Luthori has a very homogeneous population with a staggering majority (95.5%) of inhabitants being of Luthorian ethnicity, a white Artanian ethnic group. This includes ethnic Luthorians from the Luthori Homeland and some ethnic Luthorians born in the colonies who then moved to Luthori proper. Another 3.5% are of Hulstrian ethnicity, which is very close to Luthori, with a small 1% being of immigrant origins. The last ethnicity and religion census can be found here. Religion Luthor is a highly religious society and being an atheist or agnostic is considered to be socially taboo. Luthorians are among the most Church-going people in the world and a large majority of the population goes to Church at least every Sunday. The Holy Empire is named after the 16th Century Protestant Reformer Dr Martyn Luthor (often translated "Martin Luther" in other languages). Several religions were founded in Luthor: *The Luthori Church: In 2132, the government under the Democratic Unionist Party created the Luthori Church as the official state religion. It is organised into two parts, from top to bottom: the High Luthori Church is Episcopal in nature, while the Low Luthori Church is theologically more Reformed and Evangelical, while being organised along Presbyterian lines. (NB Luthori is a direct translation of Lutheran, in the Luthori language.) *The Traditionalist Lutheran Church: Founded by Elberhard der Stolze in Northminster, the TLC broke away from the Lutheran Church of Malivia. Although the leadership of the church moved to Hutori after the creation of the Luthori Church, it still maintains a large presence in the Holy Empire, as well as the former colonies of Gishoto and Kazulia. *The Luthori Catholic Church: Catholicism was imported from Al'Badara in the 800s, and quickly spread across the coastal parts of the country. Luthori Catholicism broke from Deltarian Catholicism in the Minor Schism of 2144, under Innocent I. The LCC had relatively good relations with the Islamic community worldwide as compared to other Catholic churches. In 2440, the Third Randamarian Council voted for full communion with Auroria, becoming part of the Selucian Catholic Church. The 4 million who schismed over this proceeded rapidly splinter into smaller and smaller groups; the largest of these at present is thought to be the "One Truth Church", with a flock of ten. There are also other minority religions, including Hobrazian Orthodoxy. Significant Religious Buildings and Sites CATHEDRAL OF ST. RICHARD Commissioned by Emperor Philip I, the Cathedral became the main center of all religious authority in the Empire. The Cathedral was designed by Alduria born, but Luthori raised, architect Samuel Francis. With many scenes from the Emperor Richard's great Crusade, and the golden age of Empress Mary I and Emperor Philippe II. It was finished just 3 years before the death of Emperor Philip I, and has the location of the crowning of the Emperors every since then, and the place of all Imperial Religious ceremonies. TEMPLE OF THE DIVINE LORD (Holy Temple of St. Richard, Yishelem, Kingdom of Yishelem) The Temple has been in existence for well over two millennia, but has only recently, during the reign of Emperor Henry I, has it been under the protection and divinity of the Holy Luthori Empire. The Temple, along with its mosaic art work are a one of a kind specimen of ancient religious art and filled with the icons of Christ and the Kings and Emperor's of old. The Temple has become the center or Religious authority in the Kingdom of Yishelem, and has also become one of the top destinations for those that are the most holy in the Empire. Recently reopened after 5 years of rebuilding and restoring the Temple has added a new patron, who some day may earn saint hood, Emperor Henry himself. Economy The Luthori Empire practices a free market economy, with very little government intervention. Inflation is very low due to the gold standard the Luthorian Pound is tied to and the economy generally grows at a fast rate, with little to no recent slowdowns. Unemployment is rather high at about 8%, taking an average of the unemployment rate of each Duchy. Unlike most free market economies, the Luthorian economy is dominated by very large companies, which employ some 70% to 80% of the work force, small businesses employ some 15% of the workforce while the government accounts for approximately 5% to 7%. Despite often being governed by long established aristocrats, economic mobility is extremely high in the average Luthorian firm and it is easy to climb the corporate ladder. Almost every major company is a member of one of two trade blocks, the East Luthori Trade Syndicate (ELTS) and the Bane Consortium, which are large economic and business alliances in their own right. A large majority of Luthorian big business is made up of corporations, which are publicly traded on the Fort William Mercantile Exchange (FTME) or the Williamsborough Stock Market (WBSM), the nation's largest stock markets. The Luthori Employer's Association defends market economy and the luthorian entrepneurship through-over the Empire. The Central Bureau is located in Adlerberg and has strings allover the empire. It is an economical hub for the Luthorian Empire. The LEA is also representing the Employer in labour disputes. The LEA is also a coordinator concering colonial trade and exploitation. The LEA's political wing is the famous Employer's Association Party. The LEA is often described by malevolent tongues as the "World capitialism's Spider in the net". Industry because of its free market economy and consequential lack of a corporate tax, very lax regulations and excellent infrastructure, Luthori remains an extremely attractive site for the construction and maintaining of factories. Indeed, every major Luthorian city has its factory districts where every day, millions of workers create a huge variety of consumer and industrial goods. Despite the huge presence of good producing industries, the services industry is alive and well in Luthori, with Geharon serving as a hub for banking, investment and insurance companies. The defense sector deserves a special mention. Because of the astronomical amount of money Luthori spends on defense, defense contractors are legion in Luthori, each competing to create the deadliest product and catch the idea of the cautious Imperial procurement officers who know their job is on the line if they do not choose the best product for the military. Since demand is always high, the defense industry has become one of Luthori's largest, also exporting military equipment to Luthori's allies. But the sector where the most money is made in Luthori is the energy sector. Indeed, Hexlon Imperial, by far Luthori's largest corporation, started out as an energy company. Thanks to abundant petroleum, natural gas and uranium reserves in the colonies, Hexlon and others have managed to make a huge profit out of selling energy at very low prices, but to a huge pool of customers. Sports For centuries the official sport of Luthori was fencing. During the War of Luthori Succession, the official sport was changed to football (soccer), however it soon returned back to the traditional fencing tournaments. Media Luthori has a large amount of media outlets, many of which are owned by the country's largest corporations, which has led some to question the independence of the media. Radio *Radio Free Luthori, a branch of Radio Free Terra, was founded in 2348. *In December of December 2673 the Holy Luthori Empire became the main Headquarters of Radio Free Terra. * Luthori is also the HQ of T.R.P. (Terran Public Radio) Newspapers *The Williamsborough Herald is the country's most read newspaper. At its beginnings, it remained mostly neutral in terms of Luthorian politics, whilst being supportive of the Empire in international affairs. However, as time progressed and politics changed, the paper began to assume a center-right editorial opinion. Today, its supporters claim it offers unbiased coverage and a free market perspective. Its few opponents claim it is an ultra-nationalist propaganda outlet for the Geharon Conservative Party, although statistics show that in the few occasions it has endorsed a candidate, it has endorsed as many Utagian Loyalists as Geharon Conservatives, which still indicates its clear preference for members of the Luthori royalist right and especially the members of the CIL. Politics The Luthori parliament is known as the Imperial Diet and consists of 201 seats. Current Political Parties Table accurate as of October 3243. Luthori Luthori